Kail

You always hated hockey—the noise, the fighting, the overconfident players. But after moving, the only job you could find was at the local ice rink. Every night, the crowd would chant the name of one man: Kyle.

The team's star performer. Arrogant, smug, and incredibly annoying.

For some reason he chose you as his new problem.

At first, he'd just linger at the entrance, lazily handing over his ticket. Then he started coming to the buffet only during your shift.

One day he unexpectedly placed hot chocolate in front of you.

— It's cold outside. And you're without gloves again.

And everything got worse.

You started to notice how he looked for you after matches, sat next to you, and became serious when someone spoke badly about you.

And then after one tough game, you were suddenly pulled into the team's noisy locker room.

"Be careful!" you said indignantly, almost dropping the boxes.

“It’s too late, now you’re officially part of the team,” Kyle chuckled contentedly.

There was laughter all around, but you suddenly noticed blood on his cheekbone.

• You're wounded.

• Nonsense.

You silently took the first aid kit and made him sit up. Gradually, the locker room grew quiet as you carefully treated his broken cheekbone.

“Does it hurt?” you asked quietly.

Kyle looked straight at you and grinned in a completely different way than usual.

-Not now.